


I'll See You In My Dreams

by giantpanda



Category: The Good Doctor (TV 2017)
Genre: Coma, Dreams, F/M, Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 13:41:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28529391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/giantpanda/pseuds/giantpanda
Summary: While Neil is recovering, Claire sees him in her dreams.
Relationships: Claire Browne/Neil Melendez
Comments: 12
Kudos: 46





	I'll See You In My Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> This story is inspired by the Bruce Springsteen song "I'll See You In My Dreams." The italicized parts of the story are Claire's dreams. This story is for everyone who had held out hope that Neil had been in a coma.

I.

It had been two days since the earthquake that almost took Neil away from her. He had insisted that he was fine before he had collapsed. They had found the internal bleeding too late. She kept thinking back on how she had told him she loved him, and he said it back. When she closed her eyes, she could see the way he was looking at her before he had drifted off to sleep. She had laid with her head against his chest, fearful that she was about to lose her best friend, the man she loved. He told her she would be okay, but she knew she wouldn’t be. 

Reluctantly, she had left him to find Dr. Lim and shared her risky idea on what they could do to save him. It had taken a little while to convince her and then Dr. Andrews, but they were willing to try. Dr. Glassman had been firmly against it, arguing that Neil wouldn’t want to deal with the recovery and potential complications. Claire disagreed, she felt that he had so much left to live for. Andrews and Lim had performed the surgery, but she hadn’t been allowed to scrub in. They didn’t come out and say it, but she knew they realized her feelings for Neil. She wondered if she had done the right thing because he had been in a coma since that surgery.

She had been pushing herself to work around the hospital, trying to keep busy so she wouldn’t think about him. Yet in the back of her mind, she worried every second that she wasn’t in the room with him. She was terrified that something would happen, and she wouldn’t be there to save him. She wasn’t sure she trusted the others to fight for him as she would, especially Dr. Glassman. He was already telling them that they needed to think about contacting his parents to see the next steps.

She was exhausted and worried. Normally when she felt this unsettled, she turned to Neil. They would talk through things together, go for a run, or as they had started recently going out to dinner or getting drinks. It had only been a few days since she had realized the extent of her feelings for him. She had shared her feelings with her therapist and ended things with Dash. It wasn’t fair that she could lose Neil before they ever got a chance to explore something more. Although, a part of her wondered if this was her punishment for allowing herself to be happy.

She tried to stop by and see him between patients, but they were incredibly busy with people injured during the earthquake as well as the usual patients that they would see. They were also short staffed. Morgan had possibility caused more damage to her hands, Alex was visiting with his family, and Shaun was distracted by his new relationship with Lea.

As Claire changed to head home from her shift, she decided to go see Neil before she left. She knew she should go home to get some rest, but she needed to see him. Gathering her things, she headed up to his room. She fought her exhaustion with every step she took.

She dropped her things by the door, and then moved to stand beside him. As always, she checked his vitals before taking the seat beside his bed. His coloring looked better than when she had been there earlier, and she felt a wave of hope. Her idea seemed to have worked. Now she just needed him to open his eyes.

She glanced at the door before reaching for his hand. She gently ran her fingers over his. She knew that she needed to be careful since he was still her boss, but she couldn’t resist touching him. She thought of the way he had caressed her face before falling asleep and wished that they had more time together. When the doubts of his feelings for her settled in, she thought back to the look on his face. She knew that they had both been honest with each other, she just hoped it hadn’t been too late.

“Sorry I haven’t been here much today,” she said softly. “Things have been a little crazy around here.”

With a sigh she filled him in on the patients she had seen, the issues with the other residents, and some of the gossip she thought he might enjoy hearing. She fought to keep her eyes open as she talked to him, and eventually drifted off to sleep, her hand still in his.

_As Claire glanced around, she was aware that she was dreaming. She figured that her exhaustion had finally caught up to her and she had fallen asleep talking with Neil. She hoped that none of the nurses or other doctors came in and saw her. There was already gossip about them, she didn’t want to make it worse. She frowned as she took a few steps into what seemed to be a living room. She had never been in a house like this one before. She walked around and took in the different furniture. She noticed a fireplace with some pictures on the mantel and headed towards that. She went to pick up one of the pictures to look at it._

_“Claire?” someone called._

_She startled and turned around. “Neil?”_

_She stood frozen for a moment staring at him. He was dressed in what he had been wearing the night of the earthquake, but she couldn’t see any of his injuries. She moved towards him. She knew that it was just a dream, and she worried that he would disappear. Finally, she was standing in front of him. Her hand shaking, she reached out to caress his face. He closed his eyes at her touch. Relieved that she could touch him, she reached out and hugged him tightly. His arms went around her drawing her into his embrace._

_She lost track of how long they stood holding onto each other. She realized that this was something she had never gotten to do before. She felt a wave of sadness as she questioned if she would ever really get to be in his arms._

_Slowly, she pulled away, but kept him close to her. “Is this your dream or mine?” she asked._

_“Does it matter?” he asked. He reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering against her face. “How are you here?”_

_She looked around. “Where are we?”_

_“I’m not sure,” he answered._

_She wasn’t sure it really mattered where they were, she was just grateful to be with him. He reached down to take her hand._

_“I can hear everything that you say,” he said softly. “You’re working too hard.”_

_“If you weren’t injured, you’d be working right along with me.”_

_He shook his head, “I’d make sure you’d get some rest. You’re exhausted.”_

_She couldn’t help but smile. “You’d tell me to rest but keep working yourself.”_

_He didn’t argue with her. “Claire, you need to take care of yourself.” He brought his hand up to caress her face again, “I need you to take care of yourself.”_

_“Wake up and make me.”_

_He pulled her back into his arms. “I’m trying.”_

_She tightened her arms around him, as she felt like she was about to wake up. “I need you,” she said, her eyes filling with tears. “I love you.”_

_He brushed his lips against the top of her head, “I love you too.”_

_She fought against waking up as the tears started falling. “I don’t want to leave you.”_

_“It’s okay,” he said, his voice breaking. “You’re going to be okay.”_

She startled awake. She wiped away the tears and looked at Neil. She noticed tear tracks on his face as well. She reached up and gently wiped away his tears. The dream had felt so real, she could still feel his arms around her, and could still hear his voice telling her it would be okay.

Her fingers lingered against his cheek. “I’m not going to be okay without you,” she said softy. “Please wake up.” She thought about what he had said in her dream and rolled her eyes. “I’m going to go home and get some sleep, but I’ll be back here tomorrow.” With a glance at the door, she brushed her lips against his forehead. “I love you.”

Sighing, she went to gather her things before heading home. She wondered if she would see him again her dreams.

II

As much as she had hoped for it, she didn’t see him in her dreams once she went home. She had fallen asleep on her sofa, her exhaustion making her unable to even thinking about going any further. She had showered and grabbed some coffee for breakfast before heading back to the hospital. 

She thought of what he had said during her dream about being able to hear her, so she asked Dr. Andrews if she could work from Neil’s room instead of the lounge. She didn’t tell him her idea, but she hoped that hearing about the cases would be an incentive for Neil to wake up. She pretended that it was any other day and talked through her ideas and diagnosis, pausing at the times she felt he would usually be arguing with her or pushing her to see something differently.

She was in and out of his room while working with Dr. Andrews on their patients. After getting the test results or performing the surgeries she would return to Neil and tell him what had happened. She had to spend some time in the ER towards the end of her shift but was relieved when she was done for the day and could return to his room. Just like the night before she knew she should go home but wanted to be by his side.

After checking his vitals, she sank down into the chair beside his bed, taking his hand in hers. She focused on the steady rise and fall of his chest and soon fell asleep.

_She found herself in the same living room as before, but this time she noticed files all over the coffee table and a dry erase board like the one in the lounge. She picked up one of the files and realized it was one of the patients she had been telling him about earlier._

_“Were you right?” he asked._

_“Aren’t I always right?” she said with a grin._

_He shook his head as he walked towards her. He took the file from her hands and dropped it back on the table._

_“As much as I love having you here, I was hoping I wouldn’t see you,” he said softly. He reached out and caressed her face. “You’re exhausted and they need to give you a few days off.”_

_“I’d still be here anyway to check on you,” she said with a sigh. “So, you don’t need to worry about me.”_

_“I’m always going to worry about you, Claire.” He pulled her into his arms. She rested her head against his chest and focused on the feel of his hand rubbing her back. “I love you.”_

_“I love you too.” She pulled away so she could look at him. “I want you to know that I’m not just saying that because I’m afraid of losing you. I admitted it to myself a few days before the earthquake, but I’ve felt it even longer.”_

_“Me too,” he said. “I realized it when Dash came to see you.”_

_She frowned. “You told me to call him, you even encouraged me to kiss him.”_

_“I just want you to be happy.”_

_“You make me happy.”_

_“I’m glad.” He pressed a kiss against her forehead. “I’m sorry I didn’t say something before. With that favoritism complaint and all the issues with me being your boss, I didn’t think you’d want to take that risk.”_

_“What do you think now?”_

_“Now all I think about is all the time we wasted.” He glanced around the room. “Seems so pointless now.”_

_“Come back to me and it won’t be.”_

_“I promise you, I’m trying.”_

_She wanted to tell him to try harder, that she needed him to be awake, but she was thrown when it felt like someone was shaking her._

_“Claire?” she heard someone calling her._

_She looked around the room. “Is that Shaun?”_

_“You can hear him?”_

_“Yes,” she answered. “And it’s kind of creepy.”_

_She realized that he was trying to wake her up._

_“I love you,” she didn’t hear his response as Shaun woke her up._

“Shaun,” she said, trying to move her hand from Neil’s before he noticed. “What’s wrong?”

“I wanted to check on Dr. Melendez, but I found you sleeping. Why are you sleeping here?”

“I came to check on him too,” she said. “I guess I was more tired than I realized.”

She felt Shaun studying her and wondered if he realized her feelings for Neil. She trusted Shaun and knew that he wouldn’t say anything to the others, but she was not ready to deal with them, especially when Neil couldn’t be beside her.

“His numbers look good,” Shaun said, “But I don’t know why he hasn’t woken up.”

“Neither do I,” she said softly.

“You look bad.”

“Thanks,” she said rolling her eyes.

“You should go home and sleep.”

“I will.”

“We can walk out together.”

With a sigh, she grabbed her things. Usually when she left, she kissed Neil goodbye. She knew she couldn’t do that with Shaun there. Instead she told him she would see him tomorrow and followed Shaun out the door. Just like the night before she crashed on her sofa once she got home. 

III

The next day continued the same as yesterday. She made herself comfortable in his room instead of working in the lounge. She shared the information from the scans and tests results going over what she thought the plan would be.

“This would be easier if you’d wake up and answer me,” she said with a sigh. “Maybe I just need to tell you the wrong thing to do and you’ll wake up just to argue with me.”

She rubbed at her eyes, the lingering exhaustion settling in her bones. She felt almost numb. She needed him to be okay, and with each passing day she grew more and more worried.

“What if we…?” she started to tell him her plan when there was a knock at the door. She looked up and saw Dr. Glassman. She felt a sense of dread.

“Dr. Browne,” he said stepping in the room. “Marcus told me you had set up in here.”

“I thought it might encourage him to wake up,” she admitted.’

He sighed. “This was why I didn’t want to do the surgery. Do you think that Neil’s going to be happy with this?”

“I think he’d be happy for a chance to live.”

“I think we need to look into reaching out to his parents,” he said. “They should be notified as his next of kin, and they might need to be making some decisions about what the next steps will be.”

Fear seized at her heart. “Next steps?”

“It’s been a few days with no change. We need to prepare ourselves for him not waking up. We knew that the surgery was a long shot.”

She stood up angrily. “Why are you so ready to give up on him?”

“I’m being realistic. You’re a doctor you know all the statistics.”

“And I also know him, and he wouldn’t want us to give up.” She looked over at Neil, willing him to wake up then to prove Glassman wrong. “Do you really think of it was one of us in that bed instead of him that he wouldn’t do everything in his power to help us?”

“Sometimes letting go is helping.”

“Not in this case. He’s going to wake up.” There was so much more that she wanted to say to him but didn’t want to get herself banned from Neil’s room. “I need to get see Dr. Andrews.”

She grabbed the file she was working on and left the room. Her hands were shaking thinking about him giving up on Neil. She was afraid of what that meant. She continued with her day trying to push that conversation out of her mind. Finally, when her shift was over, she took her place by Neil’s bed and slipped her hand into his. Within minutes she was asleep.

_Claire had seen Neil in all kinds of different moods, but she was surprised to find him so angry. The files that had been there the night before were thrown across the room. She wondered if her teasing about the wrong diagnosis had angered him._

_“What’s wrong?” she asked._

_“You’re not the only person I can hear,” he said bitterly._

_She remembered her conversation with Glassman and reached for his hand. He turned away from her._

_“I’m sorry,” she said softly._

_He took a few deep breaths before turning back to her. “Every day I hear you, telling me about your day about your patients. Every day I hear how exhausted you are, and I can’t do anything,” he said frustrated. “I hear you fighting for me while the others want to give up.”_

_“They worry about you.”_

_“And you’re not?”_

_“Of course, I am.” She reached for him again, and this time he intertwined their fingers together. “Every time I step into that room, every time I leave it, I’m so scared Neil.”_

_He tugged her towards him and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m sorry.”_

_“Don’t be,” she said. “Just wake up.”_

_“I’m trying,” he said. “There is nothing I want more than to wake up and hold you for real.”_

_She snuggled in closer to him. “I can’t wait.”_

_“I need you to do something for me.”_

_“What?” she asked, afraid of what he would ask of her._

_“Go home.”_

_She shook her head, “Neil.”_

_“I love having you with me, but I need you to get some rest.”_

_“I don’t like leaving you.”_

_“I’ll still be here tomorrow.”_

_“Promise?”_

_“I promise.”_

_“I’m off tomorrow,” she told him. “But I’m still coming to see you.”_

_He gave her a small smile, “I won’t be offended if you stay away for a day.”_

_“If it wouldn’t create more gossip, I’d just rest here.”_

_“Is anyone giving you a hard time?”_

_She shook her head, “Stop worrying about me. Just worry about waking up.”_

_She held him tightly as she tried to fight the pull to wake up._

She startled awake. She watched him for a few more minutes before she stood and kissed his forehead. 

“I love you,” she said softly. “I’d much rather stay here, but I’ll do what you want and go home. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She went home, ate some dinner and crashed in bed. She wished that she could see him in her dreams at home as well.

IV

Just as she had told him, she went to visit him on her day off. She had done what he asked and had tried to get some rest. Even with more sleep, she still felt exhausted. She settled herself into her chair beside him, and gently took his hand.

“I did what you wanted, and I got some sleep,” she started. “I tried to go for a run this morning but realized that its’ no fun without you running beside me.”

She continued to talk with him, hoping that maybe this conversation would be the one that would get him to wake up. She told him about how much she valued his support and friendship, and how much she had enjoyed working and learning with him. However, she hoped that they would be able to explore something more together. 

She looked up when she heard someone at the door.

“I should’ve known you’d be here too,” Dr. Lim said as she walked into the room. “How’s he doing?”

“The same.” She didn’t try to move her hand away from his because she knew Dr. Lim had already noticed. Letting go made it feel like she was doing something wrong.

“How are you doing?” she asked.

“I’m okay,” Claire answered. “How about you?”

Dr. Lim sighed, “I’m here on my day off because of him. I was hoping he’d be awake by now.”

“Me too.”

“Would you like to go get lunch?”

Claire hesitated. She wondered if Dr. Lim still had feelings for Neil and how she felt about the relationship Claire wanted to have with him. Also, with her being the chief of surgery she wasn’t sure how to feel about the invitation. Glancing at Neil, she decided that he would want her to go and get out of hospital for a while. 

“That would be nice, thank you.”

They walked quietly to a nearby café and settled at a table.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you,” Dr. Lim started.

“About what?”

“Neil,” she answered. “I wanted to thank you for pushing so hard for the second surgery. I know things aren’t progressing as fast as we’d like, but I still think he’ll wake up.”

“You should talk to Dr. Glassman, he doesn’t think so.”

“Both of us know Neil better than he does. He’d want everyone fighting for him just as he would fight for us.”

“That’s what I said. He’d never give up on us.”

“You care about him.”

Claire was uncomfortable and unsure about what she should say. She was talking to someone who was not only her boss but also Neil’s ex.

Dr. Lim picked up her reluctance to say anything. “I told Neil weeks ago that he had a problem.”

“Really?”

“After the favoritism complaint,” she held up her hand to stop Claire from arguing about it. “I know there was no merit to that, but he does favor you. He trusts you.”

“I trust him too.”

“Claire, it’s obvious that you two love each other.”

“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I know you care about him too.”

“I will always care about him, but we weren’t meant to be together as anything more than friends.” She sighed. “I just wanted to tell you that when he wakes up, you two have my support. Almost dying kind of makes the rules of the hospital seem pointless.”

“Thank you.”

She reached out and took her hand. “I also want you to prepare yourself just in case he doesn’t.”

“You think that would make it hurt any less?”

“No, I don’t.”

“He’s going to wake up. I’m not giving up on him”

“Neither am I.”

They sat together and finished their lunch talking more about Neil and possibly calling his parents, before moving onto talking about the hospital and their patients. It was nice to talk to someone who understood what she was feeling about Neil. As they finished up, Dr. Lim suggested that Claire go home instead of the hospital, but she needed to see Neil again.

Even though, she had gotten more rest then the previous days, she still fell asleep quickly once she settled in beside him holding his hand.

_“How was lunch?” he asked as she came to sit beside him on the sofa._

_She filled him in on what Dr. Lim had said and the support she was willing to give them. She moved closer to him so that she could rest her head on his shoulder._

_“She thinks we should call your parents.”_

_“Not yet.”_

_“Why?”_

_“Feels too much like giving up. I don’t want to worry them if I don’t have to.” He wrapped his arm around her and drew her closer. “They know about you.”_

_“What do you mean?”_

_“My mom figured out that I was falling for you before I did. Apparently, I talk about you a lot.”_

_She was curious what he said about her but pushed the thought away._

_“That’s sweet,” she said uncertainly. “I won’t call them unless you tell me too.”_

_“Don’t want to meet them?”_

_“Not without you by my side.”_

_“You’re nervous.”_

_“Of course. They’re your parents.” She sighed. “I’ve never really done the whole meet the parents thing before.” She sat up so she could look at him. “I mean I did meet Dash’s parents, but that was at his wedding to Kayla.”_

_He rolled his eyes at her teasing. “They’re going to love you.”_

_“You don’t know that.”_

_“I do. You’re incredible.”_

_She thought back to the night of the earthquake, when he had said something similar after she made the cell saver from the beer engine. She felt the familiar sadness and regrets that she hadn’t seen just how badly he was injured at the time._

_“What’s wrong?” he asked, always able to see through her._

_“Nothing.”_

_“Don’t do that.”_

_“Do what?”_

_“Hide what you’re feeling from me.”_

_“You’re trying to heal.”_

_“I can do that and be there for you.”_

_“You always are.”_

_He reached for her hand, “Claire, what’s wrong?”_

_She glanced down at their hands, unable to meet his gaze. “If I was so incredible, I would have realized that something was wrong sooner, and you wouldn’t still be lying in this hospital bed.”_

_“This is not your fault,” he reached out and drew her gaze to his. “I felt fine, and if I had my way, I never even would have had any of the tests you insisted on. I’m here right now because of you. Because you wanted to make sure I was okay.”_

_“I should have forced you to get examined sooner.”_

_He tugged on her hand, “Do you really think I would have listened? I can be stubborn.” She let him pull her into his arms. “You are an incredible woman, Claire Browne. Don’t ever doubt that. ”_

_She enjoyed the feel of being his arms, the safety, love and comfort she felt just by beside him. She wished it was real._

_“I need you to wake up.”_

_“I’m trying.”_

_She tightened her arms around his waist as she fought the pull to wake up._

She sighed as she woke up. She leaned over and kissed his forehead before leaving. She went home and thought about what she could do with the rest of her day off. Instead, she sat on the sofa and allowed the tears she’d been holding back to fall. She missed him, the real him, not the one she saw in her dreams. 

V

The next day continued much like the others. She worked from his room hoping for something to happen that would wake him up. She knew that there were whispers around the hospital that they should let him go, but she wasn’t ready for that. She trusted that he was still trying to wake up. After a long shift, she settled into her spot beside him. In minutes she was fast asleep.

_She went to walk towards the sofa when she tripped over some toys on the floor. He was beside her in an instant, his hands on her to steady her._

_“Are you okay?”_

_“I’m fine,” she answered bending down to pick up a doll. “This is new.”_

_“Lots of free time to think of the future.”_

_She thought about their conversation from her first year at the hospital. She knew all about his desire to be father. She looked around the room and saw various toys scattered everywhere. “How many kids are there?”_

_“Depends on the moment,” he said sheepishly. “Sometimes two, sometimes four.”_

_“Four?” She thought about the possibility of a family with him, and knew it was something she hoped they would one day get a chance to have. She looked around again. “I don’t think this is accurate.”_

_“What do you mean?” he asked uncertainly. She wondered what he was thinking._

_“There is no way you would let our,” she cut herself off, “let your kids be this messy. You’d make sure they put everything away.”_

_“Maybe they take after their mother.” He moved closer and took her hands. “And just so you know I’m talking about you.”_

_“Are you calling me messy?”_

_“I’ve seen your house, yes.”_

_“I’m an organized mess,” she said pretending be upset by him calling her messy, but really, she was stuck on how easily he told her he wanted them to have kids together and that in this dream he had thought about it. “Boys or girls?” she asked softly._

_“Depends,” he answered._

_“I think I can agree to two,” she said. “We can renegotiate after we see how that goes.”_

_“I like that plan,” he said, his happiness radiating off him._

_In that moment, she wished that she could stay here forever. “Come back to me so it can happen.”_

_“I’m trying.”_

She woke up wishing that he would wake up so they could start this life together.

VI

She hadn’t slept well the previous night. She thought about Neil and his house filled with children’s toys. Now that she had seen a glimpse into the future that they both wanted, she wanted it to start as soon as possible. The morning at work was busy in the ER, leaving her little time to see Neil. She decided to take her lunch break with him. She hadn’t meant too but she quickly fell asleep.

_She could see the concern in his eyes as he walked towards her._

_“Are you getting enough sleep?” he asked. “And I don’t mean the sleep here.”_

_“I’m fine.”_

_“I’ve never seen you fall asleep in the middle of a shift before. Are you okay?”_

_“No, I’m not okay,” she said, walking away from him. “I haven’t been okay since the earthquake. How do you expect me to sleep when I’m worried about why you haven’t woken up yet?”_

_“You need to take care of yourself.”_

_“You need to wake up.” She felt the tears burning in her eyes. “You told me I’d be okay, but I won’t.”_

_“You don’t need me, Claire.”_

_“How can you say that?” she yelled. “Don’t you know how much you mean to me? Everything that you do for me, your support, your love, even your stupid jokes. You mention having a family together and now you’re telling me that I don’t need you?” The tears started streaming down her face as she struggled to calm down. “Are you giving up?” she asked her voice breaking._

_He stepped forward and pulled her into his arms. She sobbed against his chest as he whispered in her ear that he was sorry._

_“I’m not giving up,” he said softly. “I just meant that you’re stronger than you realize.”_

_“I’m stronger with you.”_

_“I have no plans on leaving you.”_

_“Then wake up.”_

_“I’m trying.”_

She startled awake without getting to say goodbye. She grabbed a tissue to wipe at her eyes and kissed his forehead before getting back to work. She felt unsettled after their conversation and despite his words, she worried that he was giving up.

VII

She went back to his room after the end of her shift. She hoped to see him again so she could continue their earlier conversation. She was drained and exhausted and sleep came quickly.

_He stood by the fireplace his back to her. She started to walk towards him and wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him and never let go. Just as she was about to hug him, he disappeared._

_“Neil?” she called. She started to look around the living room calling his name over and over again. Unable to find him, she felt her knees crying as she kept calling his name._

She startled awake. Her breath shaky, she wiped at her eyes as she tried to understand what happened. She felt his hand tighten around hers. She slowly looked up and found his eyes on her.

“I told you I’d come back to you,” he said softly.

She reached out and caressed his face. “Am I still dreaming?”

He carefully brought his hand up to hers. “No, I’m here.”

“I’ve missed you.” He reached out to wipe away her tears. She could see how weak he was, and she leaned over the bed, so he didn’t have to reach too far. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

She hugged him tightly, enjoying the feel of his arms around her. “I should go tell the others,” she said, making no move to leave his embrace.

“Stay,” he said, “They can wait. I just need you.”

She did a quick check of his vitals and saw that everything looked good. She sat back in the chair and rested her head against his chest just as she had done before. The difference was this time she knew he was going to be okay. Now that he was awake, she was looking forward to all their dreams coming true. 

**Author's Note:**

> Happy New Year!! I want to take a moment and just thank everyone who has read and commented on the stories that I have written. Writing has been a huge comfort for me during the craziness and everyone's support has meant to much to me. I have a few more stories that I have been outlining and will hopefully start writing them soon. Thanks again for taking the time to read!!


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